Went out this afternoon prospecting for new permissions over towards Stratford upon Avon.

And I tried something new. Previously I’ve spent hours researching likely farms online using various websites, noting them down in a book with their postcodes and then going round them in turn. But it’s not that simple in practice, is it? The most promising looking places invariably have big “sod-off” gates at the bottom of the access road, or the land has been sold off to an agri-conglomorate based in an obscure Caribbean tax haven and the farmhouse has barely a 1/4 acre garden to its name, or I simply cannot find them even with the satnav. Unfortunately many farms don’t have any signage at the roadside to let you know that you have reached Pig’s Bottom Farm. Probably to deter metal detectorists. Taken all together, I have spent hours in the past driving round and getting absolutely nowhere.

Today I just set off with a notebook and the OS map for the area, picked out a few villages and just drove round the lanes stopping at any farm I could get access to. And it may have worked.

The first place I stopped at has had a tame detectorist for about 6 years and doesn’t need another one (fair enough) but at the second I had a long chat with the landowner. He has around 60 acres in a very promising situation though he no longer farms the land himself. A couple of chaps had a go earlier this year for a day and by the sounds of it had some nice finds but they’ve not been back and not been in contact with him since. Both he and his tenant are interested in the history of the land and he in particular is very interested in having someone detect his acres. So long as his tenant agrees, which does seem likely, I’m in. I should know by the end of next week, so fingers crossed and child sacrifices to the duty deity, whoever that is.

I had another couple of possibles during the afternoon but will say nothing more about them for the time being.